NewDelhi: A day after the Mysuru-Darbhanga Express collided with a stationary freight train near Chennai, experts and union leaders have expressed concerns over potential signal errors that may have caused the accident. According to preliminary data-logger footage, the express train was given a green signal for the main line but ended up on a loop line, where the freight train was stationed.
The collision, which took place on Friday evening, 11th October, at Kavarapettai Railway Station, injured nine passengers. A data logger is a device used to record the movement of trains and signal aspects in the station area.
Data Logger Footage Circulates Online
Since Saturday morning, a yard-simulation video from the data logger has been circulating among railway officials’ WhatsApp groups. The video reportedly highlights similarities between this incident and the Balasore train crash of 2nd June 2023, prompting further investigations. Southern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) said that they were unaware of the video but confirmed that multiple investigations into the incident were already underway.
Railway Board Confirms Signal Error
In a press release issued late Friday, the Railway Board acknowledged that the express train had been signalled for the main line but was mistakenly diverted to a loop line, leading to the collision with the stationary freight train. A high-level inquiry has been ordered to investigate the matter.
Repeat of Balasore Incident?
Railway Board officials who visited the accident site on Saturday said that the Commissioner of Railway Safety would conduct a detailed investigation. In the Balasore accident, the Coromandel Express was similarly directed onto a loop line due to incorrect track interlocking, resulting in a deadly collision with a freight train.
R. Kumaresan, president of the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA), said, “Based on publicly available information, this appears to be a near-repeat of the Balasore train disaster. The railways must take serious steps to resolve signalling inconsistencies.”
Technical Fault or Human Error?
Safety experts suggest that in an automated signalling system, the signal aspect should follow the track interlocking, meaning that if a signal for the main line is green, the interlocking system should automatically ensure the train moves onto the main line. However, a technical fault may have caused a mismatch between the signal and the track setting.
A retired chief signal and telecom engineer from Northern Railway, K.P. Arya, commented on the video, suggesting that the train might have derailed at the interlocking point, with the engine and some coaches heading towards the loop line while the rest of the coaches scattered along the main line.
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